Putting one foot in front of the other

This weekend the TA didn't have a race to run in, stand around in looking "official" in or be a human pylon in for the first time for, well, we don't know when. Just because we were feeling personally displaced, didn't mean there wasn't action elsewhere for others. Besides, you don't want to hear me whinging. Hey, maybe you do, but if you did you'd be over at Socksnob. Anyway, enough about us, where were we?

Oh yes, Moncton.

Last weekend saw the 10th Legs for Literacy marathon and associated events in Moncton. It used to be the same weekend as the TNS banquet, but they shuffled it up the calendar by a few weeks in a quest for better weather. This year at least the strategy paid off and race-morning was sunny and clear without a cloud in the sky. It might have been cold enough for the puddles on the trail to have a light rime of ice (yikes ice) and there was a bit of a breeze blowing down the Petitcodiac, but all-in-all it wasn't the '05 Bluenose!

Former Elite triathlete Colin Edwards won the 10K in 36:36. He said that he "used to be fast and goes out thinking that I'm fast but it doesn't stay" but by our reckoning, a 36 minute 10K would hold it's own against many of the current crop of runners in Nova Scotia. Thirty-six freakin' minutes. Hands up if you can (or ever have) run a 36? Yikes! Come to think of it, it was also the win and how many of us can say we ever won a 10K?

We didn't see any other TNSers in the 10K list, but the usual caveats about the TNS Member Tracking Software apply.

There was a bit more TNS action in the half-marathon, which was also the New Brunswick half-marathon championships. Stephane Boudreau, who used to work and train in NS but is now back in NB was 3rd overall and 2nd in his age-group with a 1:19:01. Stephane, as you might remember, was him of the excellent post-Lake Placid hair. Malheureusment, we think it's grown back/grown out! Heather Goodfellow, a runner who's been tri-ing out the dark-side this year (and liking it, we think, with some excellent age-group and overall placings) was first lady overall in the half and 7th overall with a 1:23:31. We also saw Marie-Claude Gregoire run a 1:40:15 seven days after a marathon.

The full, as always, was a different matter. We saw Catherine Fitzsimmons run a 4:11:07, Brett Phillips with a 3:31:43 and Dana Phillips (below) in 4:19:26.

Of course, Ron McKilt MacDougall was there, in a kilt.

We don't think this picture above was much an intentional attempt to strike a beefcake pose (or be a scary Devil in Skirts) as it was an attempt to keep warm. As you know, the TA is no fan of knee-high socks, or indeed the colour grey, but Ron's efforts to stay warm are to be commended. The way the wind whistles up the pass!

This was his fourth marathon in twenty-two days (and 40th entry on the Tartan Tally). There had been an appreciable training effect over the last three outings, with his times improving from 4:09 to 3:45 and then 3:33 last week in PEI. He attributes this to assiduously not training during the intervening week, adhering instead to the "run three-k and feign an injury" model.

Unfortunately for Ron, three times was the proverbial charm (being only a few minutes off a PB) and his time in Moncton (3:42:56) was slightly off that in PEI. Still, he qualifies as a gold-level marathon maniac.

Cape Cod Dunkin' Donuts marathon this weekend anyone? Perfect accompaniment to your Tim Hortons Valley Marathon surely?

In personal news, the TA's eldest, Joshua, took on the 5K and posted a 23:44. Unfortunately, like his old man, he was in the age-group-of-death for this race and despite being 19th out of over 400 was only 7th in his age-group (0-19).

Still, not a bad result for a kid barely in Junior High, no? Still needs a hair-cut though!

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